This invention relates generally to automobile mirrors and, more particularly, an automobile side mirror that is both manually and automatically adjustable to avoid a glare from the lights of a trailing vehicle.
A difficult and even dangerous driving condition during night driving is the glare experienced from the lights of an oncoming vehicle or from the lights of a trailing vehicle. Specifically, the glare of lights in the rear view or side view mirror caused by a vehicle approaching from the rear can be bothersome to a driver. While a driver may manually tilt the angle of the rearview mirror so as to dim the glare intensity, adjustment of the side view mirror is more difficult, either requiring the driver to manually manipulate an adjustment lever or adjustment buttons.
Various devices have been proposed in the prior art for adjusting a rearview mirror in response to user actuation or in relation to a sensed light intensity. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,013 proposes a side view mirror that is tilted to an antiglare position when an interior rearview mirror is also tilted to an antiglare position. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing proposals do not permit a driver to manually actuate a side mirror from between normal and anti-glare configurations without the rearview mirror being adjusted or for the side mirror to automatically shift between said configurations upon detecting glare.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have an automobile side mirror that may be tilted between normal and anti-glare configurations. Further, it would be desirable to have an automobile side mirror that is automatically actuated to tilt to the anti-glare configuration upon detection of a predetermined amount of light directed at the reflective portion of the mirror. In addition, it would be desirable to have a side mirror having a configuration in which a light sensor is protected from erroneously detecting light.